


In a Terminal

by Ellsey



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, First comes being stuck in an airport, background Huntingbird - Freeform, background mackelena, stuck in an airport, then comes found family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28223022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellsey/pseuds/Ellsey
Summary: Daisy is flying out to spend time with her newly discovered sister Kora. A winter storm changes her plans though, and being stuck in an airport may turn out to be the best thing that has happened to Daisy.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 10
Kudos: 66





	In a Terminal

**Author's Note:**

> This is vaguely inspired by the song "Terminal" by Echosmith.
> 
> But honestly this is just a bunch of Christmas fluff for all of the Dousy fans out there. Hope you all have a beautiful holiday season!

Daisy scooted her things underneath her, grabbed her breakfast, popped in her ear buds, and sat back ready to do her favorite thing to do in an airport terminal: people watching.

She got to the airport early to beat the holiday traffic. Traveling two days before Christmas probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but it hadn’t been her decision either. So Daisy just went along with the plan and hoped for the best.

The first person she noticed was a man in a smart button-down, staring at his phone. Whatever he saw made him frown. Cute guy like that, it had to be girl problems. He typed out a few things then stared at his phone impatiently. Whatever the response was, it must not have been good because he was frowning even harder than before. 

He came and sat right beside her, which, rude. The terminal was by no means empty, but there were still plenty of places he could have sat. To be fair though, he was still staring at his phone. Daisy wondered if she could position herself to see what was on the screen, but before she could give it a chance the phone rang. The man grimaced as he picked it up.

“Hello? Yes, I know. No...no...well it’s a little late for that. Right. Yep. Bye.” He made a face as he put the phone back down.

Daisy was fully invested now. She had to know his story. 

“Girl problems?” she asked.

He looked at her with a strange look. “Work problems.”

“Ah,” Daisy said, embarrassed. “Well, I guess that’s better than what I thought.”

He looked down then looked at Daisy again. “Why would you think it’s girl problems?”

“Oh you know, cute guy usually means there’s an equally cute girl causing trouble.”

“Hmmm,” he said. 

Daisy shrugged. “Sorry, coming up with stories for people is my favorite pastime.”

“Oh?”

“Sure,” Daisy said. “For example, that woman over there.” She pointed to a woman with dark hair sitting by herself. “She’s obviously some sort of spy.”

The man laughed. “A spy? Based on…?”

“You see how she keeps very still, reacting to nothing? It’s because she’s trained to do that.”

“Or, there’s nothing worth reacting to,” he said.

“There’s always something worth reacting to,” Daisy said. “But also, look at how she’s observing everything at once, but not trying to make it too obvious that she is. Clearly she’s a spy.”

“Hmmm,” he said again.

“I’m Daisy by the way,” she said, holding out a hand to shake. She figured if she was going to share her people stories with him, she might as well learn his name.

“Daniel.” He shook her hand solemnly.

“Nice to meet you Daniel.” 

“So who else has an interesting story?” he asked, scanning the terminal.

“Her.” Daisy pointed to a woman with dark curly hair wearing a dress with a flower pattern. “She’s awfully dressed up for an airport. She’s hiding something.”   
  


“Something like what?”

Daisy thought for a minute. “She can see the future. See how she looks at each person who passes by her and has a reaction? She knows what’s going to happen to them clearly.”

Daniel peered at the woman. “But if she can tell the future, why doesn’t she help them out and clue them in?”

“Ahhh,” Daisy said, “that’s because no one trusts her.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know that. You’d have to ask her,” Daisy said with a shrug. “I can’t read minds.”

Daniel laughed. “Fair enough I guess.” He glanced at Daisy’s food. “Do you mind telling me where you got that bagel? I’m starved.”

“Oh yeah, it’s over there,” Daisy said, pointing in the direction of a small airport bakery. 

“Great. Mind watching my stuff while I go grab something?”

Daisy made a face at him. “You’re trusting some rando you met like 5 minutes ago to watch your stuff?”

“Well, I’m taking all the important stuff with me,” he replied. “You’re just going to be watching over clothes, shoes, and toiletries so I don’t have to roll this thing behind me. If you think there’s a black market on men’s dress shirts then I guess I’m in trouble.”

“You never know,” Daisy said. “What if we all get stuck here for a while? Your clothes could fetch a premium price.”

Daniel shrugged. “I suppose that’s true. But honestly, I can see you the entire time I’m there. Plus, I’ve already got a story about you in my head. You’re smart, you’ve been hurt in the past, and you always have this endless need to help people. So you’ll probably protect this bag with your life, which is more than it deserves, but that’s just who you are.”

“I am...oddly touched by this assessment. And you’re probably not too far off. Fine, I’ll watch your bag,” Daisy reached out to read the luggage tag on his roller bag, “Daniel Sousa.”

“You’re a pal.” He gave her a salute and walked off. 

Daisy used the time she had to google him. It turned out Sousa was a fairly popular surname in Brazil and Portugal, but when she ruled those out she quickly found him. Not a huge social media footprint, but enough for her to get the general idea. He was not much older than her, had served in the Army, had lost a leg in the Army, and now worked as some sort of “security consultant,” whatever that meant. She quickly shut the page as he came back with some food.

“Learned everything about me?” he asked as he sat down.

“Umm…”

Daniel laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s what I would have done. Well, what I would have done if I had your full name.”

“Well, my last name is Johnson, so I’m not sure it would have helped you any,” Daisy said. “But also I kind of bounced from foster home to foster home as a kid, so you’d probably have a problem digging up too much.”

“Maybe.”

Daisy’s curiosity got the best of her. “What exactly is a ‘security consultant’ anyway?”

“Mostly I assess risk. Check out personnel, see if the business is prepared for various potential issues, help train employees. You know, stuff like that.”

“No cybersecurity then?”

Daniel laughed. “Nope. I mean I’m ok with computers, but I’m definitely not an expert. All that stuff is handled by the actual brains. It just turns out I’m pretty good with reading people and situations.”

“And is there some kind of security emergency that forces you to travel on Christmas Eve?”

“Well, I supposed it depends on who you ask,” he said. “The big boss seems to think so, and she swore to the clients that I was the very best person for the job and not just the only guy without a family to be with on the holiday.”

Daisy clapped her hands together. “Aha! So there was a woman involved!”

“I suppose there was at that.”

“I love being right. Anyway,” Daisy reached into her bag, “if you ever need a computer expert, I’m your gal.” She handed him one of her business cards.

“‘Daisy Johnson, Cybersecurity Consultant’,” he read. “Let me guess, hacker?” he said, looking up at her.

“Reformed hacker I’ll have you know,” Daisy replied. 

“Oh, well, the word reformed makes all the difference.”

“Definitely.” Daisy said with a nod. “I promise I only use my powers for good now.” She looked out the window. “Wow, it’s really coming down out there.”

Daniel checked his phone. “Well that’s not good.”

“What’s not good?”

“It appears we’re under a winter storm warning.” 

“Don’t those usually come hours ahead of time?”

“I guess this storm is a surprise.” Daniel looked at her. “We might need to sell off some of my clothes after all.”

Daisy made a face. “Well, as interested as I am to see what makes up Daniel Sousa’s wardrobe, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But maybe I should call my sister and warn her.”

“Going to visit your sister?”

“Going to meet her more like,” Daisy said. “I mentioned before that I was in the system as a kid. Thanks to DNA testing I found out that I actually have a sister a couple months ago. We’ve talked several times now, and she offered to buy me a ticket to spend Christmas with her. She’s alone too, so it seemed like a good idea.”

“Starting to feel the nerves now?” Daniel asked sympathetically.

Daisy nodded. “A bit, yeah.”

“Well, if your sister is anything like you, then I’m sure it’s going to be great.”

Both of their phones pinged at the same time. “Flight 5925 is delayed,” Daisy read. “How can they delay a flight so far ahead of time?”

Daniel grimaced. “Well, it’s usually not a good sign.” He looked out the window. “And I’m not sure we’ll be able to get out of here. Looks like you might be stuck with my company for far longer than you imagined.”

“I can think of worse things,” Daisy said with a smile. She paused to call Kora and tell her what was happening. Naturally Kora was disappointed, but she understood and said she hoped Daisy wasn’t too miserable when stuck in the airport.

Daniel watched her for a moment, then looked around and said, “So, any other stories you see?”

Daisy appreciated that he was being discreet. Clearly he could tell that she was upset, but he merely tried to change the subject. Daisy wasn’t sure she had ever met someone so..nice. It was refreshing. 

She looked around the terminal and saw a couple talking to the airline worker at the gate. The man looked like he was trying to charm the worker while the woman tried not to laugh. The woman stepped up and started talking when it looked like the man struck out. Finally they both stepped to the side, the woman looking at her phone while the man talked to her. 

“Ugh, look at them, they are so cute,” Daisy said.

“The couple near the gate?” 

“Yes,” Daisy said. “Look how in love they are.”

“I guess…” Daniel said, sounding unsure.

“Oh they definitely are. I bet they met, fell for each other in a flash, had a hot and heavy good time, then ran away and got married in a fit of passion. Now that they’ve been married for a while, they’ve settled down a bit, but you can still see the passion simmering there under the surface.” She noticed that Daniel was staring at her. “What?”

“I’m wondering how I can work it out so that you just sit and tell me stories about strangers all the time. You’re incredible.”

Daisy felt herself blushing. “I mean...I’m just making up stuff.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Daniel said. “You’re pretty fantastic.”

She stammered as she tried to think of something cool and alluring to say in response, but she stopped when she saw the couple sit across from her. 

“On delayed flight 5925?” Daisy asked.

“Yes,” the woman said. “We don’t want to miss our connection, but it’s not looking good.”

“I’m actually fine with it,” the man said. “My mum is a bit of a nightmare, but Bobbi here thinks it’s good to try and keep on her good side.”

“Hunter, no matter what she’s still your mom,” Bobbi said. “Besides, I love Christmas in the UK. I mean we get to open those cracker things during dinner. It’s fun.”

“If you say so,” Hunter said.

“I do,” Bobbi said emphatically. 

Hunter just shrugged then looked at Daisy and Daniel. “So what’s your story?”

“Well, we just met for one thing,” Daisy said. “I’m Daisy, and I’m going to visit my sister who I recently learned existed for the very first time. This is Daniel, and he’s traveling for work.”

“Nice to meet you,” Daniel added.

“Who has to travel for work on Christmas?” Hunter said, sounding appalled.

“That’s what I said!” Daisy said. “Apparently he has some taskmaster of a boss. Oh and also he’s the only one without a family.”

“Rough luck mate,” Hunter said.

Daniel shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s given me a chance to sit around an airport and meet fine people like you all.”

Bobbi’s eyes darted between Daisy and Daniel, face lighting up. “I see…” she began, but what she saw she never had a chance to say because just then there was an announcement saying that all flights were currently grounded due to the weather. 

The four people collectively groaned. 

“On that note, perhaps we should go get some lunch now,” Bobbi said, “before everyone else gets the same idea.”

It was agreed that Bobbi and Daisy would go get some food while the boys watched their stuff.

“What kind of stuff do you like?” Daisy asked Daniel.

“Oh, just get me whatever you get.”

“Are you sure? What if I get something really weird and gross?”

“I’m very easy to please,” Daniel said with a smile.

Daisy laughed. “Good to know.”

Bobbi grabbed Daisy’s arm. “Alright you two, you’ll have plenty of time to flirt later. Let’s go Daisy.”

“I’m not flirting,” Daisy argued as she got pulled by Bobbi.

“Oh honey, you were both flirting, and it’s adorable.”

Daisy made a face. “Enough about me and the guy I just met a few hours ago. Tell me about you and Hunter. How long have you been married?”

“About 6 years now,” Bobbi said.

“Six wonderful years?” Daisy asked jokingly.

Bobbi smiled, “Oh, you know, there are amazing times and there are less amazing times, but overall, yeah, six wonderful years.”

Daisy laughed. “You two are very cute.” 

“Thank you. Now let’s take a look at these menus.”

They ordered a variety of food, and the four of them had a festive meal together. Well, as festive as you could be eating fast food in an airport. In fact, they were having such a fun time that Daisy wasn’t even bothered when her phone pinged to indicate that their flight was delayed some more.

“So how long until they just cancel this thing?” Daisy asked.

“They’ll wait until the last minute, hoping to make money by running the flight,” Daniel said.

“Judging by the traffic conditions and radar, I’d guess we should start planning on making a night of it here,” Hunter said.

“Well I’m not ready to give up just yet,” Bobbi said. “A lot can happen in a day.”

After lunch Daisy offered to set up a watch party for them so they could watch the same movie without bugging everyone else in the terminal, but before she finished she was distracted by a man standing forlornly at the now empty ticket counter. Daniel noticed where she was looking.

“So what’s your story for that guy?”

“Story?” Bobbi asked.

“Daisy likes to create stories for people she sees,” Daniel explained. “It makes for interesting people watching.”

Bobbi and Hunter both looked at her expectantly. “Well?” Hunter said.

“He’s a bodyguard for a musician, but he broke the bodyguarding code of ethics by falling in love with them.”

“Isn’t that the plot of ‘The Bodyguard’?” Bobbi asked.

“I mean probably, but a trope is a trope is a trope,” Daisy answered.

The man came over and sat down near Bobbi, looking dejected.

“Stuck with us here?” she asked him.

He looked up. “Yeah, guess so. I”m supposed to be meeting my fiancee’s family tomorrow. In Colombia.”

Bobbi, Hunter, Daisy, and Daniel all cringed with sympathy. “That’s no good,” Bobbi said. “Hunter and I are supposed to be in London tomorrow to Christmas with his family. Daisy over there is supposed to meet her half-sister for the first time ever tomorrow. So we can relate. Except for that guy. He’s traveling for work.”

“Well, I do empathize though,” Daniel said.

The man nodded. “I guess I’m in good company. Name’s Mack by the way.”

They all greeted Mack, and then set about getting ready to watch the movie to pass the time. Mack fit right in with the group, and they were indeed making the most of being stuck together.

Unfortunately they received another alert that their flight was going to be further delayed. “I’m going to die in this airport,” Daisy said.

“But think of all the fun you’ll have wasting away with us first,” Hunter said.

“What a dream.”

They quickly received another alert to let them know their flight was canceled.

“Well, that’s that I guess,” Daniel said.

“We’re definitely not getting out of this airport,” Bobbi said as she studied her phone.

“Looks like we need to prepare to spend the night here,” Mack said.

They split up responsibilities. Daisy and Daniel would find food while Mack and Bobbi searched for cots and blankets. Hunter would oversee all their stuff.

Lines were very crowded with so many people stuck in the airport, but Daisy and Daniel managed to grab a variety of things for the group to eat. They decided that was the best option. When they got back, they found that Mack and Bobbi had beaten them there.

“The good news is we found some cots, and the airline handed out some blankets, pillows, water, and snacks,” Mack said.

“The potentially bad news is that we only found 3 cots,” Bobbi added. “So some people are going to have to share.”

They all looked at Daisy and Daniel. “I’m guessing that you two will share and Mack will need his own, so that leaves Daisy and I to share one?” Daniel said.

Bobbi made a sympathetic face. “Sorry.”

“Gasp! There was only one cot!” Daisy said. Everyone just stared at her. “You know what, nevermind. It’ll be fine. We’ll just sleep back to back and try not to move.”

“Are you sure? I can try and find a soft place somewhere else,” Daniel said.

Daisy waved a hand. “No way. We’re sharing.”

Daniel nodded. “Ok.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Mack pulled something out of his pocket. “I found some mistletoe.”

“We’ll take care of that for you,” Hunter said, taking the small plant from Mack.

They laid out the cots in a triangle and ate their food together. They even video called Mack’s fiancee Elena, who laughed at them but said she was glad Mack was being taken care of.

When it came time to settle down for the night, Daisy gingerly climbed into the cot with Daniel.

“Are you sure this is ok?” he asked her.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Daisy replied. 

“Goodnight Daisy,” Daniel said as he turned away from her.

“Goodnight.”

Christmas music was playing softly over the airport speakers, and Daisy listened quietly. “I’ll be home for Christmas,” a man sang. She started to sing softly with the song without realizing it. Slowly the others started singing with her, and she felt a warm feeling come over her. While making friends because you’re stuck at an airport together may seem a little strange, she felt like she had done just that.

Daisy eventually fell asleep, and when she woke up she discovered two embarrassing situations: Bobbi, Hunter, and Mack were already awake watching Daisy and Daniel and somehow during the night Daisy and Daniel had changed sleeping positions to their current one. Daisy was curled up next to him, head on his chest. It was very comfortable, but Daisy jumped up as soon as she realized how she was laying.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she blurted out.

Daniel opened his eyes. “Hmmm?”

“Ummm, I was...I mean we were…” Daisy didn’t know how to finish.

“You guys were cuddled up. It was very cute,” Bobbi said.

“We have pictures if you want,” Hunter added.

“Seriously you guys?” Daisy said with a frown. “You were just watching us like creepers?”

“Well one of us had to be awake to get info about the flight,” Bobbi said.

“Whatever.” Daisy stood up and stretched. “I’m going to go brush my teeth.”

By the time she got back, the others had scrounged up some breakfast and some news.

“We’re all on a flight leaving in 3 hours,” Bobbi said. “We may not make it to London by Christmas, but we should make it there for Boxing Day.” Hunter looked at her in surprise. “What? I may still be unsure about what Boxing Day is, but I have still learned a thing or two over the years.”

Before Daisy knew it, it was time to board their flight. 

“Well, I guess this is it,” Hunter said.

“Surely we’ll see each when we get there?” Daisy asked. She found that she didn’t want to let go of this group.

“Sure, but we should probably exchange contact info now,” Mack said.

They passed around phones and sent practice texts to give each other their info and then boarded the plane.

It was good that they had exchanged info, because Hunter, Bobbi, and Mack got lost in the transfer shuffle once they landed. Daniel though found Daisy, and they shared a cab to the city. Daisy decided that her nerves must be showing because Daniel talked about his work and what he’d do for a while. Daisy then told him all about how nervous she was to actually spend time with Kora. She didn’t normally tell people all her feelings, but she felt like she could trust Daniel.

Finally it was time for Daisy to get out at her hotel. 

“Well, enjoy your work I guess,” she told Daniel.

“I’ll try,” he said. “Good luck with your sister.”

Daisy just nodded. “Don’t be a stranger, ok?”

Daniel must have taken that to heart, because that night Daisy received a text from him asking her if she wanted pizza. As much as Daisy loved pizza, she was much more excited at the prospect of spending more time with Daniel. 

The next morning she got up very early and navigated her way on public transportation to Kora’s house. She hesitated outside the building until she heard her phone ping. She looked to see a text from Daniel.

_ It’s going to be great. Can’t wait to hear all about it. _

Daisy smiled, then walked up to buzz her sister’s apartment.

**ONE YEAR LATER**

Daisy walked up and pressed the buzzer for the correct apartment.

“Yes?”

“It’s us,” Daisy said.

“Come on up.”

Daisy turned to Kora. “Ready for this?”

Kora looked nervous. “I guess. Although from what I’ve heard, these people know way more about me than I do about them, right Daniel?”

“Only the good stuff,” Daniel said with a smile.

Bobbi was opening the door as they approached. “Hey guys, come in! Mack and Elena are already here.”

A lot had changed in a year. Daisy and Kora were constantly talking and trying to meet up every few months or so. They were different in some ways, but very much alike in others. Overall, they seemed to get along rather well.

After telling her airport story to Kora, Kora had insisted that they invite Daniel over for Christmas dinner. From that time forward he became a permanent fixture in Daisy’s life. They just seemed to click, and Daisy thought it was hilarious that she had shared a cot with her boyfriend before they were even dating. 

They had also kept in touch with Bobbi, Hunter, and Mack. Elena had come back with Mack, and everyone was excited to meet her. The three couples had a lot of fun together, and nights out usually included a lot of laughter.

This year they had decided to spend Christmas at Bobbi and Hunter’s place. As they sat down for dinner, Daisy reflected on how funny life could be sometimes. She had searched high and low for family, when the truth was she actually found it in an airport terminal. She couldn’t think of a better Christmas gift.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr @ellsey where I make nonsense posts and occasionally do some writing


End file.
